Stanford Health Care is testing a pilot program that uses smart asset tags incorporating QR code stickers to streamline the maintenance of its biomedical devices, with the goal of reducing downtime and improving patient care.
The pilot will provide clinical staff and biomedical engineers with quick access to device-specific information, troubleshooting guides, and support resources, ultimately reducing downtime and improving patient care.
“Today, device issues are at risk of lapsing and aging before they actually get triaged — nurses, doctors, and clinicians are busy with the primary goal of patient care,” said Adam Alkhato, Senior Director for Biomedical Engineering.
“Reporting device-related issues currently requires them to record the asset number, go to a computer, and open a service ticket or call the service desk — all of which can take up to a hour’s worth of their time on any given day ... from a TDS Biomed perspective, this greatly improves our ability to triage, respond, repair, and reintroduce devices post-repair back to the customer.”
Marco Salvaggio, Manager for Business Systems, explained that their team chose 28 unique models across various locations in the Stanford enterprise for the pilot. “The goal for the pilot is to test this workflow with devices that are frequently used but will not cause any issues with patient care,” he said.
Devices will range from ultrasounds and vital signs monitors to a heart-lung machine and more. By scanning the QR code stickers, users can access model-specific troubleshooting guides, generate service tickets, and even auto-dial biomed engineering’s help desk for urgent issues.
SHC’s biomed team anticipates benefits such as increased visibility to active tickets, basic troubleshooting, and automated filing of device information into the self-help portal.
But the pilot can help our technologists learn much more, said Alkhato.
“Think capturing and initiating as many of the workstreams and tasks possible related to a device issue,” he said — “whether malfunction or educational or quality related, at the point of interaction.”
“Where the user and device interact, there is a synergy which has immense value in the care continuum if we are able to capture or provide all of the related action, guidance, and material through the use of a mobile phone camera and QR code,” he continued.
While cost savings are not the primary focus of the pilot, efficiency gains are expected to be significant, said Salvaggio. The pilot will be actively tracked for five months, with key metrics monitored to ensure high engagement rates, positive feedback, and quantifiable efficiency gains.
If the pilot is successful, there is potential for a broader rollout, said Salvaggio. Future phases may involve onboarding additional technologies and integrations to further improve the impact of the solution.
“This pilot project extends far beyond medical devices," said Alkhato. "Its true value lies in demonstrating the power of harnessing and translating real-time data from any health care technology into actionable insights. By leveraging our existing platform technologies, we aim to elevate the most critical interaction in health care: the connection between patients and their providers."
